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This year’s festival has been expanded from short films only into a diverse week-long program of feature-film premieres, cult classics revisited, mind-blowing shorts, and live conversations with the brains behind this year’s official selections.

“One thing we look for in curating the shorts, and the features too, is something extraordinary — some rare element that feels beyond the usual. This year’s lineup is like a big, weird feast," says Kickstarter’s Comedy Lead, Taylor Moore.

Screenings will take place August 21–27 at Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Doors to weeknight feature events open at 7 p.m with screenings starting at 7:30 p.m. The festival concludes with two weekend brunch-hour short-film screenings on August 26 and 27 at 11 a.m. For a full festival lineup, see below.

Festival Program

Monday, August 21, 7–9:30 p.m.

Sex House

One of the most underseen and underappreciated works of satire in our time, Sex House is a hidden masterpiece. In 2012, the year of the Mayan apocalypse, The Onion's digital studios released Sex House, a web-exclusive pitch-black satire of America's reality-show driven culture, created by the nascent comedy writing collective Wild, Aggressive Dog. We'll be screening a brand new feature cut of the series and then speaking with the writers and director. Look upon their webseries, ye mighty. And despair.

Screening will be followed by a live conversation with Wild, Aggressive Dog, hosted by Sean Joseph Patrick Carney and Darcie Wilder.

About Wild, Aggressive Dog: Wild, Aggressive Dog is a writing collective that formed at The Onion in NYC where they created video products such as Sex House, Porkin' Across America, Lake Dredge Appraisal, Dr. Good, and Onion Talks. After The Onion, W,AD teamed up with producer Becca Kinskey and Abominable Pictures to create the Adult Swim infomercials For Profit Online University, Smart Pipe, and Book of Christ, and the unaired pilot Dumb American Family. They are Sam West, Chris Sartinsky, Matt Klinman, Geoff Haggerty, Mike Pielocik, and Dan Klein. They are all presently in good health.

About the hosts: Sean Joseph Patrick Carney is the host of the Humor and the Abject podcast and the art/comedy impresario behind Social Malpractice Publishing.

Darcie Wilder is the author of Literally Show Me a Healthy Person and is creating the world's largest digital database of Cartman impressions.

Village People

When Alan's wife flakes on a last-ditch effort to save their marriage, he's joined by his all-too-eager brother-in-law Mike on a trip to Nicaragua's “Mercado Village,” a hipster resort for American tourists. As the two settle in, they meet Barbara, an American ex-pat who co-founded Mercado Village years earlier as a utopian haven for artists and free spirits. As Alan's relationship with Barbara evolves, his friendship with Mike takes an unexpected turn.

This screening will be followed by a live Q&A with the screenwriter, Dan Schoenbrun.

Cast and Crew:Directed by Paul Briganti.Written by Paul Briganti and Dan Schoenbrun. Starring Aya Cash (You're the Worst, The Wolf of Wall Street), George Basil (Crashing, Flaked, Wrecked), and Brandon Scott (Wreck-It Ralph, The Last of Us).

Neighborhood Food Drive

Convinced that hosting a lavish charity fundraiser will improve the public image of their unpopular restaurant, two women hire an intern to help them plan and execute a neighborhood food drive. Despite their somewhat good intentions, the team quickly succumbs to petulance and laziness. They make repeat attempts — trying to maintain positive attitudes — but cosmic maladies cripple their efforts and they soon find themselves doomed.

This screening will be followed by a live Q&A with the director, Jerzy Rose.

Weekend Shorts

From endearing slices of life to mind-altering dadaist epics, these short films — culled from hundreds of contenders — offer an overview of the most interesting and funny auteurs working just outside your field of vision. For tickets and the complete program of each day, see below.

Cleveland attempts to overcome its nickname, “The Mistake by the Lake,” by launching a bunch of balloons.

This Is That Night Directed by Matt Braunsdorf

An innocuous fourth date between Jon and Kris evolves into a marathon conversation as they begin to really fall for each other. However, once they call out how well it's going, all bets are off.

Petals Directed by Ryan Bennett and Max Rosen

Man going by the name "Petals" rolls into town and boy, oh boy.

Buzz Directed by Mitch Magee Written by Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe

A codependent woman has her life disrupted when her servile best friend wants to move out of their isolated mountain home to be with a man. She hatches an unusual plan to ensure she will never be alone. Patrick Carroll (Hail, Caeser!) plays Buzz, the object of such contentious desire, alongside James Pumphrey (FX's You're The Worst).

Ewwww Directed Alexei Slate

A couple’s first date ends with a rather unwelcome revelation. This comedy/sex-horror mashup is built like a grand mystery — see if you can spot the clues along the way.

Sunday, August 27
11 a.m. – 1p.m.

In this laugh-out-loud classic, an aspiring improvisor has his priorities in wild disarray.

The Best Day of My Life Directed by Tynan DelongWritten by Eliza Hurwitz

A single day in the misadventures of Eliza Hurwitz, a sweetly naïve sales associate at Manhattan’s USA Girl Doll Store, who dreams of becoming an ENT doctor.

What a Feeling Directed by Jeff Nash

A dancer finds herself up for the opportunity of a lifetime. Does she have what it takes to achieve her dream?

Men Don't WhisperDirected by Jordan Firstman

After being emasculated at a sales conference, gay couple Reese and Peyton decide the only way to regain their confidence and prove their masculinity is to sleep with some women. When they meet fellow conference attendees and pleasure seekers Beth and Dominique, it seems like a perfect match. Unfortunately sealing the deal is easier said than done.

Johnny Bubble is a fictional creature who has lived a long and happy life with a beautiful family and strong ties to the community.

Business Directed by Kati Skelton

A terrified young man gets caught up in a surreal and demoralizing “business opportunity.” Will he make it out alive?

Magic Ranch Directed by Eamon Monaghan

Two ranch hands try to work through their personal problems and perform a weekly magic show.

Balloonfest Directed by Nathan Truesdell

A Rust Belt city attempts to reclaim its pride by releasing millions of balloons into the skies.

About the Brooklyn Comedy Festival + Kickstarter

Kickstarter is deeply committed to supporting independent filmmakers, funny or not. More than 20,000 projects have been successfully funded in Kickstarter's Film and Video category, with over $330 million in pledges and counting.

The Brooklyn Comedy Festival started in 2013 and has quickly become one of the premiere comedy events in NYC, bringing in performers of every level and discipline from all over the country and world.

The 2017 Brooklyn Comedy Film Festival will take place August 21–27. For more info, including ticket links, venue information, lineup updates, and news, visit bkcomedyfestival.com.